


I Can't Go On Without You/ Way Down We Go/ Save Yourself

by HkHk



Series: Time Travel for Dummies [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fix-It, Goddamn they deserve to be happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-02-06 10:21:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12815472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HkHk/pseuds/HkHk
Summary: As a rule, Jedi do not dream, not the way other non-force sensitive sentients do.Most of the time their thoughts are so well collected and ordered, their brains are able to rest and as such Jedi are capable of waking quickly and alertly. Yet, in Anakin's case, his dreams were more like prophecy. The dreams of his wife's death echoed inside him. It certainly didn't help that he had seen the future, stood in her mausoleum and- and-He could not let this future come to pass.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> An anticipated sequel! I couldn't get away from thinking of Anakin and Ahsoka and the delicious angst.

As a rule, Jedi do not dream, not the way other non-force sensitive sentients do. Dreams are a product of an unorganized mind but what is rare is the ability to have Force visions. Even Grand Master Yoda could not induce a Force vision through sheer will. Nor could he rely on what he saw with certainty. The future was always in motion. It allowed him to see possible futures, possible conclusions. 

It did not allow him, however, to guide the Jedi with finality. 

Anakin Skywalker's sudden and inexplicable loss was a blow to the war effort and in a small way, to the Jedi. More so to those who knew Knight Skywalker in person. Master Kenobi presented himself as a Jedi Master should albeit one who had a deeper connection than he should. Despite his attachments, he was able to conduct himself as one would expect out of a High Council member. 

It was Ahsoka Tano that Yoda had his concerns about. There was a fragility in her that she could not hide, not from him nor from the other Jedi. While she may have decided to leave the Order, she kept to its trappings. She was a  Jedi in all but name. It could not be helped, the person that Ahsoka Tano wished to be and the person she was becoming was her choice. They were merely guides on her journey and now she walks her path, alone.  Had she stayed...

Yoda sighed deeply as he leaned against his grimmer stick as footsteps approached him. It was Master Windu his leg was bothering more than he admitted. 

"They haven't found any trace of Knight Skywalker." Mace began his voice a rumbling whisper. He sat gingerly, one leg out in front of him, the other bent at the knee. "Master Kenobi and Tano are still searching." 

Was there any reason to believe that Skywalker could still be alive? The Jedi were not immune to death, to loss. With this war raging on, they had lost more Jedi than one could bear in a lifetime even one as long-lived as Master Yoda. There were more orphaned padawans than the mind healers can manage. The halls of the Jedi Temple are emptier and with it brings the echoes of something far worse than death. 

Still, the younglings continue to play. The teachers remain to usher in the newest generation of Jedi. 

"Far he has gone, further than any can reach," Yoda said softly. "Certain of this, I am." 

"Has he passed into the Force?" 

"Know not. This war we must win Master Windu, else, over it may  be, the Time of the Jedi." 

* * *

 

Ahsoka sat on the wing of her starfighter, her gaze darting from the hushed conversations of her former master to the silhouette of her future self. A possible future self. One that had tagged along with her master to the past, to fix some mistake. She wasn't anything Ahsoka expected. She had vague memories of her father, a possible vein in which her adulthood may lead her. 

"Hey." Ahsoka leaned forward slightly. "So, what do I call you? I mean, we're both Ahsoka Tano but I think we're going to get confused and I think we should get the names figured out before we get confused." 

"You may call me Ashla." 

"Ashla?" 

Ashla nodded. "A name I picked up while...." She presses her palm against her face as if mulling over something before continuing. "While I was undercover." 

"Woah! Were you a spy? That's so neat!" That explained why Ashla felt so muted in the Force. She felt like an absence. Not a void but something close. "Wait, did the war continue? How old are you?" 

"I am thirty-one years old." Ashla's lips quirked into a smile. "And yes, I suppose I was a spy. A saboteur would be a more appropriate term."  

"Did you have a code name?" 

Ahsoka's infectious energy could make any dour person smile. "Fulcrum." 

"Neat." She had to stop herself from clapping her hands in excitement. How could she not be interested in her future self? "Fulcrum. That sound so...mysterious!" 

"I suppose so. To the Empire, I was a small thorn in its side." 

"The Empire? Who are they? Are you here to stop them?" 

Now, she could see the hairline cracks in Ashla's facade. She may have been a spy but Ahsoka knew herself. Ashla may have more than a decade's worth of experience but they were connected. How could they not be? They were the same people. She just knew it. She could feel it. Ashla was hiding something, much like her former master was hiding everything but he couldn't keep a secret even if he tried. Especially secrets that really mattered. You would have to be blind to not notice the amount of eye fucking Anakin and Amidala were doing. 

"Yes, in a sense I am." She wasn't lying, nor was she telling the absolute truth. Ashla skirted around it as if to hide ugly facts from Ahsoka. 

"Who are you here to kill? Is it Grevious? Dooku?" 

"How are you so certain I am here to kill anyone at all?" 

"Why else would you be here?" Ahsoka threw her hands up. "I mean-," She shrugged her shoulders. And there it was, the slight suspicion upon seeing herself- this older darker person whose force presence tinged with hate. No matter how well shielded Ahsla was, they had a bond, they were one person after all. The moment her former master returned, she had felt their bond blossom into life and she also felt this other connection. One that inexplicably felt as if she was sensing herself. It was like she had felt an echo. 

"You just look so sad," Ahsoka said finally. "Like you're in mourning and have been for a while." 

Ashla glanced at the ground, the smallest of smiles on her face. "You are quite observant." 

Ahsoka returns the gesture. "Well, we had a good teacher." 

"Yes," Ashla turns her head to look towards the other Jedi. "We did." 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan tried desperately to not palm his face and groan, but alas, he has Anakin Skywalker as his best friend. "You went into a Sith controlled future where the Jedi are all dead and you had become a Sith?" If it were not so improbable, if it were not Anakin Skywalker, he would have thought there was a trick being played on him. "At which point you collected a future verison of Ahsoka and took her into the past to defeat the Sith." 

Anakin just had the most open expression on his face like a puppy who wants a belly rub. 

"The Sith being Chancellor Palpatine...." What could he say to that? "And this entire war was engineered by him." 

The Jedi Master looked up before speaking. "Now, what should we do? I assume you have a plan." 

Anakin Skywalker, The Chosen One, just shrugged. "Kill Palpatine." 

 "And then?" 

"I haven't gotten that far yet." 

 He groaned fully now, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka sheds names the way other people shed clothes.

Ahsoka shed her names the way other people shed clothes. It was the only way she could survive in her world where she was the enemy. Survival meant stripping herself down to her roots until she was somebody unrecognizable. She couldn't be Ahsoka the Jedi, she was Ashla the pilot or Ashla the vagrant. She was stuck behind enemy territory and she had no way of getting out. Becoming Fulcrum was at least a relief, she had a mission that was not limited to survival. She was a shadow. Being Fulcrum meant she was not Ahsoka Tano.  She hadn't been Ahsoka Tano for years. 

"I don't like it," Anakin said once he saw her. He looked displeased. 

"You don't have to like it." She adjusted her forearm brace with her other hand. "Something is bothering you. Does this bother you?" 

Her once master made a noise. "Yeah, it does." 

"Care to share?"

"What if it...what if you get caught? What if we fail?" The worry began to show on his normally calm face. "Ahsoka you might die. You could get captured. I just....I got worried and I began to think of all the possible things that could happen and the-" Anakin gestured with his hand. "I hate this. I hate that there is a future where we lost. I hate that- I hate that I-" 

Ahsoka cocked her head to the side as she waited for him to finish. 

"You're fixing my mistake. You don't have to. You left the Jedi Order when you knew something was wrong. Now you are going undercover in one of the most dangerous crime syndicates and it's my fault." 

"Anakin," Ahsoka said softly," It is partially your fault but not all of it. We cannot dwell on the past to the point where we are unable to look to the future. What I am doing is going to help, hopefully. Or not. I might fail. I might make it worse but I have to do something. Even if it is risky." 

The poster child of reckless actions scowled. "It's reckless. It isn't like you, Ahsoka." 

"I changed." Ahsoka slid her lightsaber hilts into their hiding spaces finishing her mercenary outfit. "Speaking of me, when will you tell her?"

"Of what?" 

"My presence here. Your change in behavior. Our plan to save the Republic and the Jedi." 

"...I'm not sure if I should tell her. I have to keep her safe, get her out of this-" Ahsoka raised her hand. "You have to tell her, Anakin. You can't leave her in the dark." 

"I know that. You always manage to get in the middle of it anyway, remember when I told you explicitly not to follow me and you did? You sneaked in and froze yourself in carbonite?" 

"Yeah, course." 

"But this is different." 

"How is it? She's already involved. You can't make this decision for her." 

"I know that." Anakin gestured with his hand. "I know!" 

"She survived the Purge, Anakin. She will survive the Purge. She can handle this." 

* * *

 

Ahsoka did not handle this. 

"Wait, what?!" 

She stared at her "future" self and gestured with her hand at her taller and more accomplished self. "How is this possible? Wait, no, better question. How have we not exploded in some sort of paradox? This is crazy. You are crazy. Master Kenobi, you're agreeing with them?" 

Master Kenobi nodded. "Anakin presented a convincing argument. Besides, I had no reason to think he was lying to me." 

"Aside from the improbably means of this....Time travel. Masters. Time travel." She clutched her head. "Just when I thought nothing-wait. Hold a sec. If Palpatine is the SIth Lord and he has orchestrated everything, that means Barriss was right. About the Jedi being lead astray." 

"She was," Kenobi said softly. "But her actions were not correct. A lot of people died because of her." 

"She nearly got you killed, Snips." Anakin growled. "End of conversation." 

"Anakin is right. There are more important matters at hand. Things I have to do and things you will have to do." Ashla looked dangerous in her mercenary garments, a pistol at her hip and with her armor. "I will be unable to stay in contact but you know how to find me if there is anything pressing." 

Their force bond spanned three ways, between Anakin and herself, herself and Anakin and between the two of them. 

"Where will you be going?" 

"Nar Shaddaa. " 

"Cool."

* * *

  
Padme knew the risks of marrying a Jedi. It was much like marrying a soldier albeit less banned and less secretive. When she heard the news of Anakin's disappearance, Padme was strong. She was a Senator who was reacting to the possible death of a Jedi General and not a worried wife who has a child on the way. Every month she grew a bit larger and she felt her hope fade. But she didn't let it get in the way of her job.

Nightfall found Padme on her couch reviewing her proposal to the Senate. Palpatine has been making strange movements, approving motions and proposals that seem rather odd. It was a small thing she was investigating, not to say that she didn't trust her friend but....something has been bugging her for a while. It could just be nothing. Bail was a great help during this time. He would be an amazing godfather. Perhaps she could ask that of him. Raising a child alone would take time away from her work. 

The door intercom dinged. "Give me a second," Padme called out as before slowing getting to her feet. She was getting larger and her ankles were sometimes very swollen making walking difficult. 

She shuffled to the door and unlocked it. "Come in, Bail you-" Padme paused. She stared. 

"...Ani?" 

Standing in the doorway was Anakin. He looked the same. Just a bit unshaven and tired. Padme threw herself at him, trusting that he would catch her and he did. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against his robes. She stood on her tippytoes to steal a kiss.

Then she noticed a very familiar face. 

"Hey, Padme." Ahsoka waved. "Nice to see you again." 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their reunion is sweet. Anakin's love burns brightly. Padme is kind.

It took her a few minutes to find the cups and some snacks for Anakin and Ahsoka. She hadn't hosted for so long that the cups themselves were dusty and her usual stash that she would save for the Togruta padawan were nearly expired. Padme could feel Anakin's eyes following her as she walked around her suite. Like she was going to vanish before him. What happened to him? He had been missing for months and now he had returned, a bit older and a bit more weary. His broad shoulders were hunched and there were bags under his eyes. He looked tired. Padme sat down next to him and took his hand into hers. "Anakin, what happened?" 

Ahsoka had left to stand outside on the balcony giving them privacy. Padme was always eternally grateful for her. 

"I love you Padme." 

Padme cocked her head to the side. "Is that all?" 

"I just wanted to tell you. I..I...I.." He stutters, for once, his grip tightens but not painfully. Anakin would never hurt her. "The past few months have been bad." 

"Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to, I'm here for you." She squeezes his hand tightly, the smoothness of the leather masking the cold metal underneath. "I can wait for as long as I need to." 

"I wish I could. But time isn't on our side." His gaze becomes sharp and steady. "We have very little time." 

"What do you mean?" 

"The world that we know is coming to a close, orchestrated by a vile man who had masqueraded himself as a friend." 

"Who?" Immediately her mind drifts to Palapatine. She had her suspicions that he was not as kind as he shows himself to be. Lately he has been doing unreasonable things, pushing forward bills that did not benefit anyone but an elite few. She had long supported him but now his actions caused her to pause and think. It would be kind to say it was plotting but kinder still to call it, an off chance thought. She did not intend to upset the Chancellor but it may happen. She did it once, she could do it again. 

Anakin's eyes shift to the side and he looks serious for once, not the young man he lets himself be around her. Playing this double life showed its strain on the corners of his eyes, the wrinkles on his forehead. "The Chancellor is a Sith Lord. He's been playing both sides of the war and has been. I had Ahsoka find all the bugs in your suite and loop them, make sure no one over hears us." 

Padme looks around alarmed. She had been frequently sweeping for bugs, she was not foolish. One could not plan a political coup without planning contingency and being very careful. Else she might have been assassinated already. "If there are any that I have already found...." 

Ahsoka waves from the balcony. 

"I just have to make sure. There are eyes everywhere." Anakin smiles at her then. "But none as beautiful as yours." 

She pats him on the shoulder. "Flattery gets you nowhere." 

"I missed you. And I have such a story to tell you." 

Padme was very polite and very quiet as she listened to Anakin's explanation as to where he went and what happened to him. "That is quite a tale Anakin...." Anakin wordlessly shows her the holopic he took of Ahsoka and her future self. Ahsoka was beaming while the taller and much older Togruta looked mildly amused. "Oh. Wow." 

"Yep. Exactly." 

"This changes......" Padme paused thoughtfully before continuing. "Nothing." 

"What?" 

"What can we do? If we were to chance the timeline now, everything else changes. Any information you gained from the future will not be valid. What if your changing of the future makes it worse? Or it erases Ahsoka? Your being here may have already changed the path of this timeline. The fact you were able to travel forward in time changes everything we know about space-time continuum-" Anakin pulls her in for a kiss, his lips soft and gentle against hers. Padme calms herself before pulling back. "You need chapstick." 

"I'll just borrow yours." Anakin said with an impish grin. "Now, what was this about space time wizardly?" 

"The timeline? Being your own grandfather?" 

"...I did experience something equally strange on Mortis, does that count?" 

Padme closed her eyes and counted to ten. "Somewhat? I read about this before but it has never been done. Time travel. Why to the future and not the past? How did you bring someone back with you? Did our timeline branch into another reality where we won? And the one that you left did it still continue? If everything goes to plan, where will she go? Would her home be recognizable to her? Does she stay here? Did you even think this through Anakin?" 

Her husband shrugs. "Kind of." 

"Kind of?" Padme repeats flatly. 

"I wanted to go home. I wanted to save the universe." His words were choked with grief. "I needed to save you." 

"You can't light the universe on fire to save one person, Ani." She hugs him tightly taking a moment to breathe in his scent. His tense posture relaxes and he rests his chin against her shoulder. "Don't sacrifice who you are when you fight the darkness." 

Anakin presses his face against her hair and neck. "I have to do what I must in order to win, in order for us to live in peace. For our child. For all of us." 

A feeling of impending doom fell upon Padme. 

* * *

 Obi-Wan ascended the temple steps. The Jedi Temple was very beautiful and he always would pause to look around, to take in the glory that was the vast halls. There were less Jedi here now, many were deployed to the front and only the children and the infirmed remained. He greeted his fellow Jedi as he passed through. Before he would receive a somber reply out of respect for his lost former padawan but news had already trickled through that Anakin has been found alive. They couldn't hide that. What they could do was control how the news was released and the details. 

He met Master Yoda in the Room of a Thousand fountains. The Master waited for him as did Master Windu. 

"Masters." Obi-Wan bowed. 

"Kenobi." Master Windu looked reserved as per usual. "How is Skywalker?" 

"He's doing well. I suppose." Obi-Wan said glibly. "He is much harder to read now. He's changed." 

"And you believe his story?" 

"Yes. He has ample proof and I trust him." 

"You trust him." 

"Yes." Obi-Wan looked at Master Windu challenging him. "I do." 

"Do you?" 

"Enough this is." Yoda said sharply. "Grateful we should be, returned Jedi Skywalker has. To the future we must look to. Plans we must make." 

"I want to convene the entire council," Master Windu clasped his hands together. "I do not like these secrets. It goes against who we are." 

"Change we must. Hurt others these secrets do not." 

"Master Yoda is correct. The less people who know the better. We are on a very quickly moving schedule. We are acting twenty steps behind." Ever the negotiator Obi-Wan raised a placating hand. "We do have a trump card. Someone he will not anticipate." 

She was frighteningly competent, a darkness had sharpened her edges and her strength was inspiring. In her place, would he have fought so hard? So much? Or would he had hidden and waited? Ahsoka had survived a purging that killed everyone else. The trials and tribulations she experienced had made her an effective fighter and an even better spy. He didn't agree on letting her go without any supervision. He didn't want Anakin to run off. He should have been used to it by now. 

"Plans we must make. Contingencies. Changed the future has." Yoda poked Obi-Wan with his grimmer stick. "Mope you should not. Feel it I could. Like a cloud your emotions are. A Master you are not?" 

Obi-Wan takes the chiding as it is. "Sometimes I wonder if that is true. I was young when I became a knight, took a padawan I was not ready for and became a master." There wasn't any regret in his voice just a quietness that carried in the bubbling streams. "But now I know what I am, where my path took me and what I must do. I am thankful that I took Anakin under my care. I have learned much from him. He has become a great Jedi and a better man." 

"Aside from his secret wife?" Windu said dryly. 

"Ah...yes, aside from that." 

"Don't worry about his personal secret. I only found out after his disappearance. It is not uncommon for that to happen. There are other things we must attend to, more important things." 

"How is Master Billlabe?" 

"She is doing well." Windu narrowed his eyebrows. "Why?" 

"I was merely curious as to her well being." 

"So you say," He sounded unconvienced. 

 

 

 


End file.
